Grants for CSOs, Human Rights and Democracy in Argentina

Deadline: 28-Dec-22

The European Commission (EC) is inviting applications for the project Entitled “Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Human Rights and Democracy in Argentina”.

The European Union (EU) and Argentina share the fundamental values of freedom, democracy, human rights, promotion of regional integration and multilateralism to face common and global challenges set out in the 2030 Agenda. Within this framework, the EU has a cooperation commitment with Argentina, which is part of its global project to eradicate poverty, promote the rule of law and adherence to the fundamental freedoms established in the Constitutive Treaties of the EU.

In order to contribute to the effective participation of civil society and the defense of human rights and democracy, the EU works through the financing lines of Support for Civil Society Organizations (OSC), Human Rights and Democracy.

Lots

This call brings together both instruments – established in Lots 1 and 2 respectively – each with its own objectives, and invites eligible organizations to submit proposals
- Lot 1: Civil Society Organizations: The EU is committed to supporting civil
- Lot 2: Thematic line of support for Human Rights and Democracy

Program Objectives and Priorities

The overall objective of this call for proposals is to contribute to the strengthening of civil society organizations as independent actors for the promotion of sustainable development.

Civil Society Organizations: The EU is committed to supporting civil
- Support for Civil Society Organizations: The specific objective of Lot 1 of this call for proposals is to strengthen the capacities of civil society and for the protection of the environment, the fight against climate change, the resolution of socio-environmental conflicts and the promotion of a green transition with social cohesion in Argentina.
- Lot 1 is subdivided into two sub-Lots: Lot 1A and Lot 1B. The thematic priorities of Lot 1 are the same for both sub-lots. The separation corresponds to a geographical division whose purpose is to ensure greater cooperation in the South of the country; therefore, for Lot 1B the activities should be implemented mainly in the South of the Argentine Republic.
- The thematic priorities of Lot 1 (1A and 1B) are:
  - Biodiversity, Fair and inclusive energy transition, Sustainable waste management, Sustainable agriculture
Thematic line of support for Human Rights and Democracy:
- The specific objective of Lot 2 of this call for proposals is to promote the digital rights of people in Argentina to support an anthropocentric digital transition that is respectful of the shared values between the European Union and Argentina.
  - Eliminate the digital divide and promote access to digital rights
  - Promote open government and data governance

Those proposals focused on:

Promote open government strategies and architectures (eg government as a platform ), sovereign digital identity, citizen participation (eg citizen panels, platforms for public decision-making such as Decidim ), etc.
Support transparent data governance , including systems to strengthen citizens’ control over their personal data (eg MyData ), conceptual and regulatory frameworks to promote data sharing between actors from the same or different sectors, data collection and protection proposals for services of public interest, etc.
Promote the development and application of artificial intelligence (AI) ensuring digital ethics, respecting democratic values and with an anthropocentric view (eg proposals for advocacy in the definition of a regulatory framework on AI; proposals for audit, monitoring and control systems of AI systems, etc.)
Strengthen the incidence of civil society in the regulation of digital platforms.

Funding Information

The total indicative amount allocated to this call for proposals is EUR 6,136,000.The Contracting Authority reserves the right not to award all available funds.

Indicative distribution of funds per lot:
- Lot 1A CSO Argentina: EUR 3,201,000
- Lot 1B CSO South of Argentina: EUR 1,280,000
- Lot 2 Human Rights and Democracy: EUR 1,655,000
Grant amounts for Lot 1 (1A and 1B):The grants requested under Lot 1 of this call for proposals will be between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
- Minimum amount: EUR 620,000
- Maximum amount: EUR 640,000
Amount of grants for Lot 2: The grants requested within this call for proposals will be between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
- Minimum amount: EUR 540,000
- Maximum amount: EUR 550,000
Duration: The initial planned duration of an action may not be less than 36 months nor more than 48 months.

Eligibility Criteria

Main applicant(s)
- To be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
  - Be a legal person;
  - Be non-profit;
  - Be a civil society organization , or a thematic network of CSOs , and
- be established in Argentina or in a Member State of the European Union or one of the other eligible countries in accordance with the provisions of the legal basis (the NDICI Regulation); This obligation does not apply to international organizations;
- Be directly responsible, with their co-applicants and affiliated entities, for the preparation and management of the action and not simply act as intermediaries;
- Appear as a co-applicant in no more than one proposal in this call.
- The following will also be eligible:
  - For Lot 1B, there must be at least one co-applicant established in the South of the Argentine Republic.
  - Public bodies such as Ministries, Provincial or Municipal Governments will be eligible as applicants and/or co-applicants only in Lot 2.
  - CSOs from EU Member States or another eligible country must participate with at least one co-applicant established in Argentina.
  - Potential applicants who are in one of the situations of the Practical Guide are not eligible to participate in calls for proposals or be eligible for a grant.
Co-applicants
- The co-applicants will participate in the design and execution of the action, and the costs they incur will be eligible in the same way as those incurred by the main applicant.
- Co-applicants must meet the eligibility criteria applicable to the lead applicant himself.
- If the grant contract is awarded, the co-applicants (if any) will become beneficiaries of the action (together with the coordinator).
- Appear as a co-applicant in no more than one proposal in this call.
- In addition, please note that applicants included in the EU restrictive measures lists cannot be awarded or signed contracts
Affiliated Entities
- The lead applicant and its co-applicants may act with affiliated entities.
- Only the following entities may be considered entities affiliated with the lead applicant or co-applicants:
  - Only entities that have a structural link with the applicants (ie the main applicant or a co-applicant), especially if the link is legal or capital.
- This structural link mainly covers two aspects:
  - Control, as defined in Directive 2013/34/EU on the annual financial statements, the consolidated financial statements and other related reports of certain types of companies.
- Thus, the entities affiliated with an applicant can be:
  - Entities controlled directly or indirectly by the applicant (subsidiary companies or first-tier subsidiaries). They can also be entities controlled by an entity controlled by the applicant (second level subsidiaries), and the same applies to the following levels of control.
- Entities that directly or indirectly control the applicant (parent companies).
- Likewise, they may be entities that control an entity that in turn controls the applicant.
- Entities under the same direct or indirect control as the applicant (associated companies).
- Membership, i.e. the applicant is legally defined as, for example, a network, federation or association in which the proposed affiliated entities also participate, or the applicant participates in the same entity (for example, network, federation or association) that the proposed affiliated entities.

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